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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligently political film, disguised as love story, October 23, 2002
By A Customer
This film gets 4 stars only b/c I don't believe in perfection. But it is all that and more! Brown Sugar is a cleverly entertaining, but immensely political film that will only be fully appreciated by those who were exposed to real hip hop music pre-gangsta rap/Vanilla Ice/MC Hammer cartoon character [stuff] that totally casts African Americans into narrower caricatures while mocking the creative, intelligent art form in its truest nature.All of the other reviews will tell you about the plot. I'll break it down like this. The film is metaphorical. Sid (Sanaa Lathan) and Dre (Taye Diggs) represent real hip hop -- the pure creative stuff with great lyrics & true uplifting substance most mainstream folks don't hear on the radio. They each try to get together with other folks (Boris, Nicole) who represent the misguided mainstream that's partially at fault for the overtly racist, simplistic "rap music" that gets so much hype, radio air play and industry promotion attention today. The marriage between Diggs and Nicole (whatever) doesn't work out in the end b/c (as I understand the point the writers were trying to make) a union between hip hop in its purest, realest form and all that [stuff] that's just designed to sell records to misguided white folks who think that's all there is to the music can't work -- also sending a message that artists shouldn't comprise and sell out just to sell records. That's why Diggs quits his job & that's why he tries to promote Mos Def's character ... one that represents all the real, creative, intelligent and above ...booty shake rappers who don't get big sales and radio airplay. This movie courageously attempts to assail the music industry and mainstream consumers who don't know what real hip hop is -- and thus either buy into all of this violent, misogynistic music that gets promoted b/c they really think that's the extent of the life of African Americans OR people that hate it altogether b/c they think since that's all they hear and see then that's the full extent of hip hop music. The real reason the "Rin and Tin" characters are such laughing stocks is b/c the writers are both mocking the fake music passed off as rap music that sells today in the mainstream AND hoping audiences that see this movie laugh and get the real joke in understanding these characters aren't genuine and thus not real. Hip hop is a culture of expression -- greatly varied in message and creativity. Brown Sugar gives a voice to all those fed up with negative, stereotypical rappers getting promoted to predominantly white audiences who often buy into it -- thus shutting out more creative, true, talented rappers with positive, fun and deeper messages in their lyrics. True hip hop is fun and can articulate every aspect of life like all other genres. Hopefully, just as in the movie's poetic ending with Mos Def getting radio airplay, real hip hop artists will get the promotion they deserve and give the art form a better name among the mainstream that sadly still knows absolutely nothing about its essence. As I see it this movie is creative and clever b/c of its parallel between social commentary on the current state of the music industry, what sells, what's real and what should sell with this love story. Sid and Dre are together b/c "real recognizes real." That's Brown Sugar.
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